Trobairitz – She is more. There are really three unusual things about the bike. 1. The shape, forks and large front wheel; which give the bike the seventies chopper look and this often carries with it poor handling. By very carefully checking the geometry and being ultra careful to conform to what works well when designing frames, she handles like a dream. So, that aspect is much better than I had feared. 2. The engraving makes the bike really stand out and is the main thing that people seem to like (or hate). The guy that did the engraving, all by hand with a hammer and chisel, was a true craftsman and if this make any sense, probably did too good a job, because it is so perfect, it looks like it was done by machine. 3. The paint really grabs the attention.

In addition, there are many smaller, hand-made parts on the bike that make it unusual. Mainly in brass, these are spacers, mountings, the end of the pipes and many more, that are subtle, but make the bike stand out as being unusual.

Those three or four things are each better than I’d hoped for, so it is fair to say the bike exceeds my expectations.

Roger – I seek a quiet, unassuming life, away from the spotlight..... not! Actually, while I do get a kick out of it, what I really enjoy is seeing peoples reaction to the bike. At the custom bike show you don’t stand next to you bike, but instead walk around and blend in. I like that because I like to stand back and watch people looking at the bike, listening to what they say. The same when it is parked at these big rallies, in that rarely do you see anyone actually with their bike.

Sure, like many bikers I like riding a nice bike and I have checked the bike out in the reflections of shop windows as I rode passed, but you any biker who says they haven’t done that isn’t telling the truth. Nearly all of us think we look good riding a bike – perhaps one reason why we like bikes instead of cars?

Canajun – I was really pleasantly surprised how well the bike rides. While any custom bike based upon a Harley is never going to handle as well as (say) a sports bike or a BMW tourer, my comparison is set against standard Harley-Davidsons. Against these, the bike handles really (and I mean REALLY) well and I have no doubts that the 2,000 mile round trip ride I am about to make on her, will be very good. Designing a frame, or in our case, frame modifications, is a real skill based on some solid principles of engineering and I am happy to report that the guy that did this, got it spot on.

Sonja – LOL. That is good of you to say, but I know it is the bike that looks smashing. This one photo does look good, but I have seen others nowhere near so complimentary. I wasn’t going to draw attention to one of those though!

H-D Motorcycle Tours in Europe

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What is this blog about?

This blog was originally started to record a five month, 21000 mile tour of the US on my Harley-Davidson. I continue to use this blog to record my own motorcycling adventures, wherever they may be, along with my thoughts and opinions about motorcycling generally.

About Me

Having devoted most of my adult life to being a ‘company man’, the transition to the next phase of my life away from the construction industry was always going to include some challenges. Planning and then making my dream trip to explore America on my Harley-Davidson proved to be the ideal vehicle for clearing my mind of old ways of thinking and being. I rode 21,475 miles, in 27 US states in four-and-a-half months.
My motorcycling trips have continued, with journeys across much of Europe, New Zealand, North Africa and Cuba.
A few years ago, I set up and now run Tour1, which takes riders on Harley-Davidson Authorised tours across Europe. See www.tour1.co.uk.
I live just north of London in the UK.

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Copyright - All Rights Reserved

Please note all photographs on this blog are copyrighted. Do not copy or use, in whole or in part, any image from this blog either in its original form or altered in any way. If you do want to use one of the photographs, then you must ask first and I will almost certainly say yes! Thanks for your understanding.

US Tour - My Favourites Places I Went To....

It is difficult to choose, but here is my list of the highlights of my US tour, in the order I saw them in....